A series of Russian train ferries being built at Uljanik will feature MacGREGOR double-deck lifting platforms and stern doors

The MacGREGOR Group RoRo Ship division has further strengthened its long-standing relationship with Croatian shipyard Uljanik Brodogradilište with a contract for four shipsets of double-deck railcar lifting platforms and semi-tight stern doors. The equipment will be installed on a series of passenger/train ferries being built at the yard for Russian owner Morskiyi Investitsii i Razvitiye. The 16m-long by 9m-wide railcar elevators will have a lifting capacity of 170 tonnes. Including these four systems, MacGREGOR will have supplied a total of 19 railcar elevators.

The ferries will be used on the Caspian Sea. Delivery of the MacGREGOR systems is scheduled for 2004 and 2005 and the ships will be handed over in 2005 and 2006.

The design and operation of the railcar elevator is similar to the much larger version on Sweferry 42,000gt Sk¥ne, which entered service five years ago. Sk¥ne was built in Spain by Izar Puerto Real shipyard. The difference is one of scale as Sk¥ne elevator is 102m long and has a lifting capacity of 816 tonnes.

MacGREGOR first worked with Uljanik on ships with railway wagon capacity 25 years ago when it supplied RoRo systems for a pair of 12,900 dwt vessels designed to carry 108 rail wagons. The cargo-handling outfits included an elevator platform serving three decks that handled two wagons at a time. MacGREGOR RoRo outfits were also installed on a similar pair of ships built by the Fredriksstad and Framnaes shipyards, also delivered in 1978. These four vessels were ordered for service in the Black Sea.

In the mid-1980s Uljanik delivered a series of eight 4,000 dwt rail ferries to operate in the Caspian Sea. Each was designed to carry 28 rail wagons as well as 50 cars and 200 passengers, but did not feature railcar elevators. MacGREGOR RoRo outfits included the stern door, a ramp cover over the car ramp to the tank top, and a car turntable on the tank top. The new ships are a similar size to this earlier Uljanik series.

For further information, please contact:

Mr Michael Koch, area sales manager MacGREGOR RoRo Ships Division
Box 4113, SE-400 40 Gothenburg, Sweden
Tel: +46 31 850 758 Fax: +46 31 428 825
e-mail: michael.koch@macgregor-roro.com